Yes, Canberra Airport (CBR) has designated smoking areas — all of them outdoors, in marked spots set at least 10 metres from every terminal entrance. The single domestic terminal is completely smoke-free indoors, so every cigarette or vape happens on the forecourt before you clear security.
Smoking Areas at Canberra Airport
Canberra Airport runs a single passenger terminal handling domestic flights only (no scheduled international services), which keeps the smoking picture simple: everything is landside and outdoors. Marked outdoor smoking areas sit around the terminal forecourt, each positioned at least 10 metres from any doorway, in line with ACT rules under the Smoke-Free Public Places Act 2003.
The prohibited spots are drawn just as clearly. Smoking is not allowed on building balconies, in public walkways or seating areas, or anywhere smoke could drift back inside through air intakes, doorways, or covered entrances. There are no smoking rooms or lounges inside the terminal, and none airside.
The airport does not publish a smoking-area map or list the exact positions on its website, so the practical move is to follow the on-site signage near the terminal entrances, or ask airline ground staff or the information desk to point you to the nearest marked area.
Canberra is a compact, single-level terminal shared by all airlines, so the outdoor areas are only a short walk from any gate — an advantage over the larger Australian capitals where the exit can be a long trek. The 10-metre setback means the marked spots sit out on the forecourt and kerbside pickup zone rather than immediately by the doors, which is worth remembering if you are timing a cigarette against a boarding call.
Departing and Connecting Passengers
Because there is no airside smoking area, departing passengers should have their last cigarette in the outdoor areas before joining the security queue. Once you are through screening and into the gate lounges, there is no way to smoke without leaving and being re-screened.
Connecting through Canberra is uncommon on domestic-only routings. If you do have a long wait between flights, you would need to exit past the arrivals area to reach an outdoor smoking area and then pass back through security for your next departure, so budget time for the re-screening. Arriving passengers reach the same forecourt areas as soon as they leave baggage reclaim.
Vaping at Canberra Airport
Vaping and heated-tobacco devices follow the same rule as cigarettes at CBR: use the designated outdoor areas at least 10 metres from any entrance, never inside the terminal. The ACT treats e-cigarettes the same as tobacco in its smoke-free public places, so the forecourt areas are the only place they are permitted. Nationwide, Australia restricts nicotine vapes to pharmacy supply only, so travellers should not expect to buy them landside or airside here, and should carry any device in line with the national rules.
Summary
| Feature | Canberra Airport (CBR) |
|---|---|
| Indoor smoking areas | None |
| Airside (after security) | None |
| Outdoor smoking areas | Yes — at least 10 m from entrances |
| Vaping | Same rule as smoking (outdoor only) |
| Terminals | One (domestic) |
If you need to smoke after security during a longer journey, the nearest Australian airport that offers it is Brisbane — see Brisbane’s Level 3 smoking balcony after security. Every other major Australian airport, Canberra included, keeps smoking landside and outdoors.
For ACT and Australia-wide smoking rules, the state-by-state setback distances, and the nicotine-vape ban, see our Australia smoking guide.